Labor Day Weekend Part 2: The Fair at New Boston

Every year up in Springfield, Ohio, there is a wonderful living history event called The Fair at New Boston. Held on the site of the Battle of Peckuwe, the Shawnee villages of Peckuwe and Kispoko, and later the town of New Boston, this fair presents life as it was between 1790 and 1810 in the new United States. There is an area for the milita, with a full-sized Revolutionary War cannon and a bronze British light six-pounder both being demonstrated (very loudly!) throughout each day. An area for tents with a bit of “what life was like” in an encampment and among the people, an Indian village, and of course many artisans and shopkeepers displaying their wares. There’s even entertainment at the Cheapside stage and various famous frontiersmen to be seen throughout the day.

The view from near the military encampment down into the artisan and entertainment area. Oh, and some period-correct food, too!

The day we went to the fair was hot. I mean hot. As it turns out, it’s a good thing we didn’t wait until Sunday to go, as Sunday was even hotter still, and had a heat warning out for much of the area. As a result, we didn’t wander through the milita encampment, nor did we go through the woods to the Indian village – though we’ve done both before and thoroughly enjoyed them. I took some photos of things we did wind up seeing, not including the magician in Cheapside (where we went to sit in the sparse shade for a bit!).